Snap judgment: 49ers’ play count at bye week tells a story

Safety Eric Reid leads all 49ers in snaps through the first nine weeks of the season Jose Luis VillegasThe Bee

Safety Eric Reid leads all 49ers in snaps through the first nine weeks of the season Jose Luis VillegasThe Bee

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers are just past the midseason mark and the team's snap-count total tells a few stories. Thanks to Italian pal Franco Mazzoli (@MazzoliFranco) for the tally.

Offense

* Erik Pears gets the offensive "Iron Bee" award at the bye. He and fellow linemen Alex Boone, Marcus Martin and Joe Staley have played 100 percent of the offensive snaps. Pears, however, has played 25 snaps on special teams, which puts him over the top.

* Something to watch in the second half of the season: Jordan Devey has far more snaps at right guard than Andrew Tiller. But the snap count swung dramatically in Tiller's favor in Sunday's win, the first time that has happened this season. That might signal that Tiller will get his first start on Nov. 22 in Seattle.

Premium content for only $0.99

* Garrett Celek's 363 snaps leads all 49ers tight ends, another indication that he is the top player at that position for the 49ers. He was a longshot to make the team in 2012 and was decidedly the 49ers' No. 3 tight end in his first three seasons. The turnaround is a testament to Celek’s progress for sure, but also shows just how much the talent level has dropped around him.

* Wide receiver Jerome Simpson only has been active for two games but already has played more offensive snaps than Bruce Ellington.

* Jarryd Hayne has played 4.9 percent of the 49ers’ offensive snaps this season but garnered 87 percent of the media attention.

* The Bruce Miller Effect states that when Miller plays approximately 40 percent of the 49ers' offensive snaps, the 49ers win. Miller has played 30 percent of the team's snaps. The 49ers are not a winning team.

OT Erik Pears 569

G Alex Boone 569

OT Joe Staley 569

C Marcus Martin 569

QB Colin Kaepernick 504

WR Torrey Smith 428

G Jordan Devey 390

WR Anquan Boldin 372

TE Garrett Celek 363

TE Vernon Davis 329

RB Carlos Hyde 295

WR Quinton Patton 220

TE Vance McDonald 206

FB Bruce Miller 171

G Andrew Tiller 169

RB Mike Davis 98

TE Blake Bell 67

QB Blaine Gabbert 65

WR Jerome Simpson 50

WR Bruce Ellington 49

RB Reggie Bush 48

RB Kendall Gaskins 44

RB Shaun Draughn 44

WR DeAndrew White 30

RB Jarryd Hayne 28

OT Trent Brown 9

RB Pierre Thomas 4

Defense

* Eric Reid's 600 defensive snaps leads that unit and his 700 overall snaps lead the entire team. That has to be encouraging for a player who had concussion issues during his first two seasons in the league.

* Also encouraging from a medical standpoint: NaVorro Bowman has played 590 defensive snaps, second most on the 49ers. Bowman's last two games may have been his best two, which suggests he is getting healthier each week. His next game, of course, will be the site of his gruesome January 2014 knee injury.

* Glenn Dorsey leads the 49ers defensive linemen in snaps. But the team is doing far more substituting at that position than they'd done in previous years when stalwarts Justin Smith and Ray McDonald rarely left the field. Dorsey, for example, has 352 snaps through nine games. In 2012, Smith had 540 snaps through the same number of games.

* Tank Carradine has played the fewest number of snaps among the defensive linemen. Jim Tomsula said this week the 49ers were looking into tweaking Carradine's role.

* Jimmie Ward technically isn't a starter. But the 49ers safety/nickel cornerback has played 60 percent of the snaps so far and ranks ninth in terms of defensive snaps. Too bad he won't get a second shot at Brandon Marshall when the 49ers visit Chicago Dec. 6. Marshall is now with the Jets.

* Inside linebackers Nick Bellore and Shayne Skov lead the team in special teams snaps with 205 apiece. Bellore, L.J. McCray, Phil Dawson, Kyle Nelson, Ian Silberman and Bradley Pinion are the only 49ers who have played special teams without taking a snap on offense or defense.

Read Next

The San Francisco 49ers had fullback Kyle Juszczyk and tight end George Kittle named to the NFC Pro Bowl team. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, kicker Robbie Gould and special teamer Mark Nzeocha are alternates.